Poll: McCain could win Washington state

In the race for the presidency, Washington State could well be in play, thanks to a nominee who is more in the mold of Washington state Republicans like Attorney General Rob McKenna and former Secretary of State Ralph Munro, both of whom campaigned for Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz.

According to a recent Rasmussen Reports poll, McCain would beat Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y., in the state and is within spitting distance of Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill. This is the second month in a row Rasmussen has McCain beating Clinton here. Last month’s poll had McCain beating Obama as well.

Washington, which hasn’t gone for a Republican presidential candidate since voting for President Ronald Reagan in 1984, is considered a “blue” state in most people’s electoral calculus, but McCain’s general election viability here is a continued trend.

At least if it’s a close election, this state already knows how to conduct a recount.